NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FO_ &EqONAUT!

CS

AIRCRAFT CIRCULAR NO. i01

THE A.B.C. "ROBIN" (BRITISH)*

k Single-Seat Cabin Hononlane

The A.B.C. MOTORS, Ltd., decided to enter the field of

aircraft construction and to build airolanes to utilize the

two types of engines which they were already oroducing: the

30-40 hn "Scoroion" and the 60-70 hn "Hornet" The servic3s

of Mr. A. A. Fletcher were secured as designer.

The A.B.C. "Robin", as the airn!ane is named, is of more

than ordinary interest in that it is th_ first low-newer sinele-

soarer with "conduite interieure" to be oroduced in this coun-

try (Fig. I). The comfort of the oiler (_,ho in most instances

will be the owner) has b:_en s_,riously studied, and in the

"Robin" _e have an airolane which the o_rner can use all the

y_ar round without having to don soecial flying kit. The little

cabin has its floor so low above the _round that the oilot can

step in _vithout the use of any built-on stens. Large windo_vs

on each side give a good view outwards and the _indows can be

ooened backwards during flight as well as forward _,_hile taking

off ar_llanding. In fact, as the designer himself put it,"If

•From "Flight", _'[ay Z0, 1929.

N.A.C.A. Aircraft Circular No. 101 2

he is _ sufficiently bad pilot he can watch his wheels until the

actual moment of touching the ground." A V-shaped windshield

closes the cabin in front, and as the engine mounting is placed

quite low, the view forward is also excellent. A hinged sky-

light forms the roof of the cabin, sund can be raised to facili-

tate _]ettin_j in ard out, as _ell as forming sun emergency exit

throu_Th th_ roof in case of a crash. The cabin door itself is

on the starboard side.

Just behind the cabin, a_nd with a hatch in the roof of the

fusel_ge, is a luggage compartment large enough to take two

large suitcases, so that the ov_ner of a "Robin" will be aole to

go on a prolonged tour.

Tha% the "Robin" is a really useful and serviceable air-

plane _ill be reolized when we state that the top speed is 105

m.p.h., while the airplane cruises very comfortably at 85 m.p.h.,

taking but 24 hp from the engine. The fuel consumption at cruis-

ing speed is but 2 gsllons per hour or so, _iving a mileage of

more them 40 miles per gallon, which must be reg_ded as extreme-

ly economical.

Structural Design

Simplicity has been aimed at in planning the structursl de-

sign of the "Robin," and wood is the materia_l most extensively

used_ the employment of metal being confined to fittings stud a

few highly-stressed parts.

N.A.C.A. Aircraft Circular No. I01 Z

The fuselage is a wooden "box" havin_ four spruce longerons

in the corners, and top, bottom _r_d sides covered with a thin

plywood veneer (Figs. 2 and 4). Light formers are placed at in-

tervals to retain the rectangul_' cross-sectional shape, these

formers consisting of panels with very light spruce frsmes end

thin plywood walls lightened by Isxge cut-outs.

Up to the cabin the fuselage is deep and the deck forms a

roof except for the skylio_ht already referred to. In front of

the cabin, however, the deck drops considerably so as to pro-

vide the forward opening of the front window or windshield.

The lo_er longerons extend right up to the engine plate, but ow-

ing to the sudden drop in the deck in front of the c_oin, the
top longerons of the engine mounting are short separate lengths,

stopping short at the front wall of the cabin (Fig. 2). The en-

gine plate itself is a multi-plywood former, and is attached to

the longerons by rather neat steel fittings (Figs. 2 and Z),

which are simply short lengths of squ_re-section steel tubts,

split for a distance along the corners, and the free ends thus

formed being turned out at right angles. In this _'ay a fls_ced

socket is formed v_ithout the use of welding. The diagonal brac-

ing of the forward part of the fuselage, i.e., from cabin to en-

gine plate, takes the form of steel tubes. The gasoline t_nk,

with a capacity of 8 callons, is housed in the forn'ard deck

fairing, above the pilot ls legs, a position r_hich still gives

sufficient "head" to enable direct gravity feed to the encine
N.A.C.A. Aircraft Circular No. I01 4

to be employed (Fig. 2).

The monoplane v_ing is built in tr_o halves, hinged to the

fusela_e top corners, and braced each by a pair of struts ar-

re_ged in the form of a Vee (Figs. 4 and 5). The upper ends of

the wing bracing struts are attached to the wing spars by steel

straps, v_hi!e at the fuselage end the tyro tubular struts have
fork ends fitting over a sheet steel fitting bolted to the fuse-

lag e . As the lift is t_ken from this point, a steel strap bolt-
ed to the corner fitting runs right across the bottom of the

fuselage to the corresponding fitting on the opposite side,

_vhile inside the fuselage a tie rod transmits the tension. This

tie rod lies along a plane just above the top of the lower lon-

gerons, and as the external steel strap is just below the lower

longerons, the whole structure is so stabilized that no twisting

stresses r_e imposed upon the lower Ion_erons.

Across the top of the fuselage runs a duralumin_ tube, which

terminates at each end in a sheet steel fork, between the ja_vs

of which a duralumin_block is swiveled (Figs. 4 and G). This

block, v_hieh is vertic,_ul, has a horizontal hole drilled through

it for the reception, in the case of the front spar fittinrgs,

of the locking pin used in connection with the wing-folding

arrangement. This pin is rather in the form of a sort of key,

so that v_hen the wing is erected _o_d the pin pushed home a_d

turned, it cannot accidentally come cut of its socket, being

held in by a coil spring and having a small projection or cs_

i[.A.C.A. Aircraft Circular No. I01

_Thich fits into a corresponding recess in the block.

The _ving spars are of solid _pruce, spindled out to an l-

et to make
section (_!_. 5) This form of sl>e_r is rather cheap

than a. box-section sp_, _nd cs there is no difficulty in ob-

taining good spruce in such short !enjths, the spindled 1-section

_
L')
of square- sect ion
spc.r was chosen. The ribs _o_e !i_ht girder ,

spruce, a.tts.ched to the spars by corner strips. The rib fl_ngc

strips ,t.re joined to the rib tie strips by thin three-ply wood

gussets (Fi_. 5). The covorinC is doped fabric. The wing sec-

tion used is a biconvex one, R.A.F. 34, which has _ _L!most sta--

tiona_'Y center of pressure, and has been found to vzork excel-

lently on full scale.

The t[til surfaces are also of wood construction, s_d per-

fectly normcl, both in aerodyna_._ic and struc tur_Ll design (Fig. 7).

The stabilizer incidence can be adjusted while the airplane is

on the ground, the re_r spar of the stabilizer being supported

from the fuselage by two threaded bolts_ lock nuts on which !o-

care the stabilizer at the desired angle, being tightened up

against a flat sheet steel fitting.

,(Fig. 2)
The landing _ear/is of the "split" type, the wheel on each

side beiu_ supported on a bent axle, which is in turn retmined

in a fore and ai't direction by a radius tube, and in a vertics_

"le_," the upper end of which is

direction by the telescopic

bolted to the side of the fuselage. Zndless rusher cord rings

form the shock-absorbing medium, and the correct m_ount of

_.A.C.A. Aircr'-" ,jio Circular k_O. ]01 6

spr" !ngl_"'_,_ is very simoly determined by the number of rings em-

ployed. There is no d_mping device for checking bouncing• The

vfheel track obtained with this form of landing _Tear is very wide,

<_nd there should be little dsmger of the airplane turnin@ over

when ta_xyin[_ in a strong cross _;:ind.

The main dimensions, etc._ are shozm on the general arrange -

ment -_ "" -
t!ra_fli%i,.s (_" Ig.
-' I )• The co_imated
o_ tare weight of the "Robin"

is 415 pounds. _-_ permissible {..<rossweight for the certificate

of airliner_0nl:.eos
"_ _ -
is 680 pounds, which will enable a fairly heavy

pilot and a considerable load of luggage to be carried, in addi-

tion to fuel ....

_, r 4 hours at cruising speed, or a range of about

340 miles.

Assuming a maximum power of the "Scorpion" of 40 b.hp, the

Dower loading is !7 Ib./hp, while on normal po_er (35) the power

loadinc_ •
is 19.4 Ib./hp. The _,in_)
"' _ loading is 7 Ib./sq. ft , vJhich

gives m landing speed of approximately 40 m.p.h.

The hiiTh placing of the wins, in conjunction with a v:ing

section v_ith stationary center of pressure, provides good stabil-

ity. R.A.F. $4 shows no violent stalling, and the airplane

should merely sink slowly when /'lying beyond the stall ang_le ,

and should show little tendency to go into a spin.

_.A.C ....'_ Airc_<_f_ Circul[ar .,o_T. I01 7

Dimensions, Surfaces, etc.*

Spsr_ spread 25 ft. 4 in.

Span, :folded ii " 8 I,

Length 17 " 7 "

H<_.i.[_ht 5 " 9 "

Arcas:

Llain olu.:aes, including ailerons 97 sq. ft.

Ailerons 13 "

S t ar_i! i z er 9

E1 evat or s 6 "

Fin 0.5 "

Rudder 4.5 "

W e i !_ht

Empty 415 lb.

Loaded 680 "

Zinc loading 7 ±'t.

Power " (40 17 Ib./im

P er f orma_lc_

!.(axim_m_ 105 m.p.h.

Crui si nO 85 'f
Landin_ 40 "
Climb (first minute) 750 ft.
Service ceiling 17,500 "
Theoreticsl _fosolute ceiling_ _I,000 "

*From :_ leaflet published by the A.B.C. ilotors, Ltd.

_.A.C.A. Aircraft Circular No.101 Fig. i
II 17,7. .__:_ 'i'

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_ "k_/3 Elevat°rs
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Rudder
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= /, l- I,, Fig,l General

I ,ll )"I arrangement
- /I ¢4/ y.F_ = A.B.C,
l.("J _ II r
drawings of
a new low- "Scorpion"
engine
!li power single
seater; the Feet
A.B.C. 0 i 2 54 58 7
"Rob in" I + i L i i tfl I I I + I 11 I

airplane. 0 I
Meters
N.A.C.A. Aircraft Ciroula= No. 101 Figs< 2.3, 4,5,6, ?

]1

Fig.5 Left strut attaohment to fuselage shown in 1, details of wing oonstruotlon

2. Attaohment of llft strut to rear 8par shown in 13, and char&lumln tube
aorose the tOD of fuselage with fork _nd blook for wing spar attaohment in 4